In Prof. Karen Dawisha’s penetrating and terrifying new book, “Putin’s Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia?.” the facts presented build the case that Russian President Vladimir Putin has built a criminal, Mafia-like regime, reliant on corruption, violence, terror, subversion, and ultimately loyalty in order to survive. But even prior to his first election to president in 2000, a system anathema to and likely inconceivable in the minds of even the most sober Westerners was forming.

On September 21, 1999 former CIA agent Richard Palmer, testified to the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services during a hearing on infiltration of the Western financial system by elements of Russian organized crime.

Palmer, a specialist in Russian organized crime, who had spent 20 years as a member of the CIA during the height of the Cold War, largely overseas — including his final three as Chief of Station in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) from 1992-1994 — followed by several years as an FSU business and security consultant, stated:

For the US to be like Russia is today, it would be necessary to have massive corruption by the majority of the members at Congress as well as by the Departments of Justice and Treasury, and agents of the FBI, CIA, DIA, IRS, Marshal Service, Border Patrol, state and local police officers, the Federal Reserve Bank, Supreme Court justices, U.S. District court judges, support of the varied Organized Crime families, the leadership of the Fortune 500 companies, at least half of the banks in the US, and the New York Stock Exchange.

This cabal would then have to seize the gold at Fort Knox and the federal assets deposited in the entire banking system.

It would have to take control of the key industries such as oil, natural gas, mining, precious and semi-precious metals, forestry, cotton, construction, insurance, and banking industries – and then claim these items to be their private property.

The legal system would have to nullify most of the key provisions against corruption, conflict of interest, criminal conspiracy, money laundering, economic fraud and weaken tax evasion laws.

This unholy alliance would then have to spend about 50% of its billions in profits to bribe officials that remained in government and be the primary supporters of all of the political candidates. Then, most of the stolen funds, excess profits and bribes would have to be sent to off-shore banks for safekeeping.

Finally, while claiming that the country was literally bankrupt and needed vast infusions of foreign aid to survive [1990’s], this conspiratorial group would invest billions in spreading illegal activities to developed foreign countries which provided them with foreign [aid].

In the best case of this comparison, the U.S. President would not only be aware of all of these activities but would also support them – including the involvement of his own daughters and all of his close political and financial supporters. Further, he would direct a campaign to smear and remove the Attorney General for investigating the office of the President.

For more on how Putin took up this mantle to build his kleptocratic regime, be sure to check out our full interview with Prof. Karen Dawisha below. You can find the cliff-notes here.

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“When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to pause and reflect.” - Mark Twain - Politicians and diapers - change 'em often, for the same reason.
"Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." Ronald Reagan
"Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views."
William F. Buckley, Jr.
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” - Bertrand Russell
The people are the masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it. Abraham Lincoln “Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their
behalf.” - George Orwell
“Satan will use a lake of truth to hide a pint of poison”.